Thailand with Teens

[Loralei]

I promised the rabble a special holiday once I qualified and I think we've settled on Thailand next April. Most people I know have been as backpackers and the 'with kids' guides tend to focus on little ones, so any advice would be welcome.

We will start in Bangkok, but only for about two full days, and then want to go somewhere with great beaches and (ethical) elephants. A lot of decisions need to be made around what Betty can cope with. She couldn't manage even two days in the busiest of Bangkok, but I think we can easily get to quieter spots for some temple visiting?

Likewise travelling. While the malefolk and I would potentially find a 12hr train journey fun, it would be Betty's idea of hell, so we would need to fly south. I'm thinking Koh Samui? It has an airport and ticks all the other boxes, but I believe it is quieter than Phuket. I don't care about being off the beaten track and am not sniffy about touristy (given we will be tourists), but would prefer somewhere quietish.

Can anyone tell me if I'm on the right track or offer any tips? TIA

[Rebel Pebble]

A couple of things to be aware of about April in Thailand (because that's when we went) is it's one of the most humid times of year* and also Thai New Year falls in the middle of it and literally nowhere is quiet on that day!

*And it really was.

[Loralei]

Oh bloody hell, I had a feeling that would be the case It's the only time we can both take 2 weeks off so we'll have to bear it. Fortunately one thing Betty can tolerate is heat; she's an actual reptile

[Dandelion]

Exciting, Lora! I have lots to say. I’ll pop back on tomorrow!

[AshleyX]

Sounds fab, I love Thailand! You could have a look at Khao Lak - it’s about an hour’s drive from Phuket and it’s cheap and easy to get a taxi, and is very peaceful and relaxing. If Betty will struggle with Bangkok could you skip that part? We flew direct to Phuket with Tui from Gatwick flight only and then just picked our own accommodation.

We were there in February this year and last - once we stayed on White Sands beach (absolutely picture perfect and miles long with little beach restaurants all along), and once closer into Bang Niang, with all the restaurants, bars and markets.

The beaches are amazing, plus there are plenty of local and tourist markets to visit, several elephant sanctuaries around (some more ethical than others), and lots of stunning temples. It’s quiet but there are lots of very reasonable restaurants and bars, but not the whole wild Thai bar scene.

We also took an overnight trip to Khao Sok national park and lake where we stayed over on a floating bungalow thing, explored caves, walked in the jungle and saw elephants in the wild, plus monkeys, snakes etc. It was just absolutely breathtakingly beautiful. Happy to show pics/answer and questions if it looks like it might be your thing.

Krabi looks beautiful too, but I haven’t been. Koh Samui always looks very wet, which puts me off.

[Mountain Goat]

Definitely steer clear of New Year in Bangkok with Betty, I found it too much really (at least in the area where we were staying). Everyone's throwing water and daubing each other with flour paste, lots of road closures so you can't get anywhere away from it, and the crowds are so thick it takes forever to walk a few metres, and three people will have shoved ice down your top in that time. You also really don't want that to coincide with trying to get to the airport (taxis couldn't get anywhere remotely near our hotel).

I did island hopping around Koh Samui and it was great but honestly I think Ashley's experiences sound better.

[AshleyX]

I should say, though, we’re a couple in our (cough) mid-40s, and no kids or teens!

[Loralei]

That's ok. They want the same things as us, pretty much. I mean, they would love a water park, but will get by with tropical beaches, a pool, waterfalls and exotic animals, the brave little soldiers

Right, I've checked term dates and flight costs, and we should be able to go in February instead, annual leave allowing. It sounds as if that would be much better. It just leaves a lot of the year left, as we usually go away in the summer (but if I work a few bank shifts we can probably sneak in a few days in a caravan later in the year). We all really want to experience Bangkok, we just know our limitations. (If it comes to it, we could take it in turns to chill in the hotel with Betty and she could still day she'd been!)

Thanks for the input (any more very welcome). Ashley, I would love to see pics, if that's ok?

[overthehill]

We flew into Pukhet from Singapore, as part of a world trip in 2001. We booked our own accommodation in Phuket town and stayed a couple of days there before going on to Hatpatong. We did a few dive trips, which was lovely, but the whole coast will have changed a lot since the Tsumami. (My sister lost a good friend. ) In fact, as this trip was over 20 years ago, all of this may be well out-of-date. In which case, sorry.

We loved the diving (drift dives around 'James Bond' islands) the street food - everything fresh, hot, and no stomach upsets - and the hotel. We travelled to Hatpatong from Phuket by public bus. The bus ride was quite an experience. White knuckle stuff! We bartered for a hotel room on the beach front. It looked quite luxe and newly built, so we went up to the reception desk and asked how much per night. Can't remember the figure, but it was over our meagre budget, so we made our excuses and turned to leave. The receptionist called us back to ask how much we wanted to pay! We gave her our budget and she said "yes, but breakfast not included". The room was fabulous and they left orchids on our pillow each night.

Not so great were the armies of hawkers that peddle everything from bespoke suits to time shares. (Do time shares even exist anymore?) They were a complete nuisance and very hard to shake off. "American Breakfasts". Ewwww. Didn't seem to matter where you ate, they always consisted of under-cooked, runny fried eggs, mini frankfurter sausages cut into flower shapes, flower-shaped carrots and/or tomatoes, and really, really sweet orange juice. I took to eating Pad Thai for breakfast instead. Pushy tuk-tuk drivers who insisted on taking you to their cousin's tailor shop before delivering you to your requested destination.

Note: if you are thinking of getting something made, the fabrics and workmanship is second to none. But take something with you that fits you and you want copied, rather than asking them to measure you. The sort of tailors that the tuk-tuk driver will take you to have no concept of made-to-measure, but will copy an existing garment perfectly.

After Hatpatong, we took another bus to Surat Thani to catch the train to Bangkok. It was an overnighter and we had a first class sleeper. Lovely. One thing about public transport in Thailand, it's very clean. Public toilets are probably best avoided, if you can. Thais wash their nether regions with a hose. So, for the benefit of tourists, there's usually a vendor sitting outside, selling loo paper.

Bangkok was hot and busy and a bit frustrating. We did love the temples and the markets but they'd almost certainly be too much for Betty. We did take a lovely 3rd class (wooden benches, no windows) train trip out to Kanchanaburi to see the Bridge Over The River Kwai. The bridge itself was swarming with Japanese students. To them the bridge is significant as a remarkable engineering achievement ... But the train journey was a worthwhile experience in itself. The train stopped at various intervals for people to get on and off, apparently between stations. Each time local vendors would come to the non-windows selling food and other produce.

A tip, if you get hungry away from tourist areas, and you can't read the menu or make yourself understood. We had a Lonely Planet guide book with a section on typical Thai meals in the centre. All the dishes were described in English, alongside their Thai translations. We got really hot, dehydrated and hungry at one point, inside a huge shopping mall that evidently isn't set up to cater for tourists. We went into the first fast food outlet we found, but couldn't make out any of the dishes being served. The staff were incredibly sweet. They sat us down and brought us water. We couldn't match any of the dishes in the guide book to the menu, but when the server saw what we were trying to do, she pointed at the things in the book that they could do for us! And they put a Beatles album on the sound system for us, to make us feel more at home.

If you do plan on visiting Bangkok at all, do buy the latest edition of Nancy Chandler's map. In fact, buy one anyway. It was originally hand-drawn in 1974 to accompany a magazine article, but it's so fun and informative, it's been regularly updated since.

[Loralei]

That's all helpful, thanks OTH.

No diving for us, as Betty and TD have a lifelong ban due to their past chronic lung disease (even if anywhere would take children), but I'm hoping we can do some snorkeling in the marine parks. I bet J would bloody love an American breakfast, the philistine but pad thai three times a day is no hardship. (After all the beautiful mountains, jungle and safari in Sri Lanka, the thing P waxes most lyrical about is curry for breakfast, lunch and dinner.)

The fast food staff sound very sweet. I love that they put The Beatles on for you

[kiwi]

My old boss booked a tour guide for a day so that his family weren't left wandering around in the madness, apparently it was very good.

Do not take Betty to China Town. I'm reasonably good in crowds, particularly when it's part of an adventure, but I still get a tight chest when I think about how claustrophobic I felt with no easy way out of the heaving narrow alleys. M took to practically beating little old Chinese ladies* out of the way to get me out.

*They were not nice little old Chinese ladies, they were armed with trollies and other implements that they were quite happy to ram up our ankles to try and make us get out of the way.

[AshleyX]

Of course! Here’s a wee selection.

[AshleyX]

At the lake

[AshleyX]

And a couple more